Leverage Existing Donors Through Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

Funding is always a struggle for non-profits, but 2016 has been a particularly harsh year. Harnessing new non-profit fundraising software and applications can help non-profits fill this gap.

According to BusinessWire, 75 percent of nonprofits surveyed by Nonprofit Leadership Pulse report reductions in funding or significant delays in funding. As a result, about a third of organizations surveyed said they had to dip into cash reserves to cover their obligations, and 28 percent ran a deficit.

At the same time, demand for services is increasing in communities throughout the U.S. About 52 percent of nonprofit organizations surveyed reported an increased demand for programs and services. Non-profit leaders expect demand for services to grow in the coming year, as well.

Few non-profit leaders expect conditions to improve in 2017, so, for these organizations to meet the increased demand for their services or to just keep their doors open, new fundraising ideas are needed. Peer-to-peer fundraising is a promising concept that takes advantage of trends in technology and how we use it to socialize to raise money for great causes.

Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

Peer-to-peer fundraising allows non-profits to use their existing list of donors to raise more money for the organization without hitting them up for cash again. Instead, donors are asked to set up pages that tap the donors’ personal networks of friends, co-workers, and family for contributions.

Peer-to-peer fundraising is cost-effective because it builds upon resources non-profits already have (their donor list) to solicit more money. By activating your donor base as fundraisers, non-profits get the added benefit of free labor in spreading their message and soliciting donations.

Peer-to-peer fundraising also keeps organizations’ donor bases enthusiastic about the non-profit. Recruiting donors to set up pages and work on a non-profit’s behalf makes them feel like valued members of the organization. They feel they have a greater stake in the organization and become proud of the work they do to maintain it. You may be surprised when after a peer-to-peer campaign several donors come forward to increase their contributions.

Fundraising software and services can help non-profits easily set up peer-to-peer fundraising pages for their donors to use. It’s advisable to make these pages customizable and easy-to-use, as it increases the likelihood that donors will participate in a peer-to-peer fundraising project.

There is little doubt that 2017 will be just as challenging of a year for non-profit organizations as 2016 was. Innovative thinking is necessary to aid these organizations in continuing the good work they do for their communities. Peer-to-peer fundraising is an idea whose time has come.

Process Donation helps non-profit charitable organizations raise more funds by connecting them with technology that makes reaching out to donors and collecting funds easy and inexpensive. Process Donation caters to small- and mid-sized charitable organizations in need of fundraising and technical support and offer very affordable services. Whether it’s creating donor websites, optimizing the use of social media, or harnessing the power of data, Process Donation can help non-profits better achieve their fundraising goals.